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Anticholinergics for prolonged non specific cough in children

Children with non-specific cough, (non-productive cough in the absence of identifiable chest disease) are commonly treated with a variety of medications for control of cough symptoms. This review examined the effect of inhaled anti-cholinergic drugs in children with non-specific cough. Currently there is no evidence to support the use of inhaled anti-cholinergics as no randomised-controlled trials of inhaled anti-cholinergic medications in the management of prolonged non-specific cough in children were found.

Authors' conclusions:

There is currently no evidence to support the use of inhaled anti-cholinergics for symptomatic control of non-specific cough in children. Further research examining the effects of this intervention is needed.

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Background:

Non-specific cough is defined as non-productive cough in the absence of identifiable respiratory disease or known aetiology. It is commonly seen in paediatric practice. These children are treated with a variety of therapies including inhaled anti-cholinergic medications.

Objectives:

To determine the efficacy of inhaled anti-cholinergic medications in the management of prolonged non-specific cough in children.

Search strategy:

The Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched. Relevant pharmaceutical companies were contacted. The latest searches were carried out in April 2010.

Results of searches were reviewed against pre-determined criteria for inclusion. No eligible trials were identified and thus no data were available for analysis. A single small trial in adults has been reported.

Main results:

No randomised-controlled trials that examined the efficacy of inhaled anti-cholinergic medications in the management of prolonged non-specific cough in children were found. An additional search in April 2010 did not identify any further studies.